Essential tips for effective recruitment - selection http://www.qed-consultancy.co.uk Copyright Jeremy Thorn QED www.qed-consultancy.co.uk en-us Make sure that any offer of employment you make is conditional upon acceptable references Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Ask the candidate for at least two references, preferably three, and ask for permission to speak to them At least one reference should be taken from the candidate's last employer, even if this means waiting until after the candidate has completed his or her resignation process. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Take up all references without fail Explain who you are, the post applied for and ask open questions about the key elements of the candidate's employment with that referee (eg dates of employment, job function, salary, reporting lines) or other relevant contact (if not a past employer). If there are any mismatches between what you are told and the information you have already from the candidate, probe more carefully and if still not satisfied, stay neutral, thank the referee and then tell the candidate you are unable to proceed. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Note that many past employers may be especially wary of giving you - possibly a complete stranger - a complete picture of your candidate to protect themselves Ways to guard against this include the following:- a) Speak on the telephone to a referee if you possibly can, rather than ask for a written reference which may be ignored, be purposely incomplete or be too general to be useful. Stress that the call is in confidence. b) Check past details of employment and training and ask if the referee was happy with the candidate's performance, successes and failures. c) Ask open questions about the candidate's past strengths and weaknesses or training needs, and take detailed notes for future reference. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Always call the referee and at the end of your call ask one more vital question However helpful or otherwise the referee might have been, ask this question: "If you were seeking to fill a similar post in the future and this candidate were to apply, would you be prepared to re-employ him or her?" Then probe the answer if you can. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Note that many professional recruiters report that the incidence of false claims of qualifications is surprisingly high So check any essential qualifications with the awarding body concerned. Do not be shy about this. Universities, colleges and professional institutions expect potential employers to check and will be keen to protect their good name from any false claims. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Consider asking your preferred candidate to undergo a medical test at your cost by a doctor approved by you, for any position where good health is essential Before you do this, make it clear to the doctor what would count as a 'failed' medical test, and explain how your chosen criteria are critical for the post. Relevant tests might reasonably include motor co-ordination for manual jobs, eyesight, hearing and cardio-vascular functions. If you need to test for alcohol intake or illegal drugs, tell candidates beforehand as a matter of courtesy. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Keep your other short-listed candidates open until all your final procedures are completed and your preferred candidate has accepted your job You may need to go back to them! Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Be sure to write or call all candidates who have applied, thank them for their application and explain that you have found another candidate who meets your needs more closely In most cases, this should be brief and to the point, but it is quite appropriate to wish them good fortune in their search for alternative employment. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Offer your chosen candidate a formal, written Contract of Employment, and a copy Ask him or her to sign both copies and return one to you for your records. It may be prudent to ask the candidate to return this by an agreed date. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Obtain advice from an experienced employment lawyer if you do not have a standard Contract of Employment that meets this employee's circumstances It is not worth the risk of writing a contract that does not protect your interests or is not enforceable! Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Make sure that the contract you offer contains no surprises to the candidate If there are elements that you think may be seen as unfavourable, discuss these first and resolve any disagreements as best you can, or you may lose your chosen candidate. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Spell out the title of the post To whom it will report, the principle duties, when it will start, where it is to be based and the official hours of work. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Confirm the salary, overtime (if relevant) and any bonus Specify how and when these will be paid and when they will be reviewed. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Include any details as appropriate on pensions, health or other insurance, share options, holidays and any other components of reward Include such as a company car, telephone, computer, home office equipment and expenses. These may best be referred to briefly in the contract, with more detailed policy matters covered in separate documents. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Make sure that you specify how and when the contract may be terminated, with the periods of notice required, both by the employer and the employee This notice should usually be required to be in writing. You may also wish to note any terms for summary dismissal, as covered in a separate Company Disciplinary Code, which might form part of your new employee's induction procedure. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Consider offering a probationary period for a limited time before the post is confirmed With a shorter notice period, if you require the new employee to prove his or her capabilities in the post first. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Clarify how any unused holiday allowance will be dealt with on termination Usually by payment in lieu, pro rata to the number of months worked in the given holiday year. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Specify any requirements for confidentiality concerning your organisation's commercial secrets Including documents or the ownership of any intellectual property (eg inventions and patents) which your employees may help to produce in the course of their employment. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Note that a well-handled induction period, to ease the new employee's way into your organisation, might help to smooth over considerable difficulties in the post later on But a badly handled induction (or none at all) may cause mounting resentment which may never be overcome. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Help both yourself and all your new employees by establishing a checklist of key items to be covered during induction eg people to meet, places to visit, policy documents to be received and understood, reporting procedures, equipment to be trained on. With the name of someone responsible who will ensure they are completed and sign them off if necessary. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Make sure that your new employee knows where they will be working and where the basic facilities are Also meets relevant colleagues, has an organisation chart and relevant product literature, and knows something of the organisation's goals, history and traditions. The latter should include such simple but essential matters as dress code, expenses, eating and parking arrangements, how the telephones work, private email policies etc. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Go through essential items such as disciplinary procedures and other policy documents, health and safety requirements And reporting forms and make sure they are understood. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Consider establishing a formal programme of events during the first few weeks To include meetings with key members of staff, other meetings, visits to other offices or plants and relevant training events. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Keep in regular contact with your new employees in their first few weeks To ensure that any problems are quickly resolved and do not escalate. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Invite your new employees to give you their first impressions after their induction period and ask them to suggest ways it could be improved for future new arrivals Recruiting good people may be expensive and laborious, but once an employee joins you, it is well worth making sure that they want to stay! Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Invest as much as you need to, to recruit the best Don't take short cuts in this process. Asking unsuccessful people to leave, once they have joined you, is expensive for both parties and can be very damaging for the morale of those who are left. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Good people are hard to find, so make sure your organisation is one that people want to work for. Ensure that your web site and general publicity presents your organisation in the most favourable light to attract new recruits, locally or further afield, and make sure the image you project is accurate! Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Resist the very real temptation to appoint the best candidate available, even though he or she does not really meet your needs It is invariably better to re-advertise than to recruit someone who is not going to meet your needs Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Make sure that all those who have contact with your organisation, even if they are unsuitable job applicants, leave with the best impression of you possible If they have a bad experience while with you, you don't know whom they might tell! Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 It's good to ensure that those who end up by leaving you also leave with the best impression possible of you Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Be sure to discuss fully, at the start, what should happen if things don't work out for a new employee Do this before anything might go wrong. Afterwards may be too late and may only result in acrimony and expensive law suits. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Find out why people leave you by conducting an exit interview Whatever the circumstances, to help you to make sure you retain those whom you want (and need!) to keep. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Be wary of recruiting from your competitors Especially if you doubt whether they may be loyal to you or will have developed habits from their past employment which may be damaging. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Be cautious in recruiting back to your organisation those who have previously chosen to leave you Old memories die hard! Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Pay as much as you have to get good people You will of course need to be careful that new recruits' salaries are not significantly out of line with longer-standing employees' of equivalent status, and you don't want to pay more than you need to, but good people are usually worth paying a little more for. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Note that good recruits rarely make job moves for salary alone Job opportunity and fulfilment, responsibility, the working environment, opportunities to develop and grow, the possibility of share options and being associated with success are also all powerful motivators for new employees. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Remember that an acceptable working environment includes one that offers equal opportunities Including making sure there are opportunities for those who may be disabled, from an ethnic minority or older or younger than people's preconceptions. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Try to recruit from within your organisation whenever you can This will signal to your existing team that you want to offer them opportunities to develop and grow, and will help to maintain their continued loyalty and morale. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Think through what a new employee's subsequent jobs could be before you recruit To ensure you employ those with the potential to grow into bigger jobs. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Assess and appraise your staff's personal development rigorously, so you can identify their capabilities and encourage their development potential Recruiting those who already work for you, whom you know well, is usually very much more certain and secure than recruiting complete strangers! Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Be willing to consider giving loyal and hard working employees a chance to work in another role or a different part of your organisation if you can, if they don't work out in their present job Their lack of success could be because of a personality mismatch with their immediate superior, the wrong skill set for the current job or lack of experience, but they might still become one of your most valued employees in a different role given another chance. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25 Copyright Jeremy Thorn QED www.qed-consultancy.co.uk Jeremy Thorn is a prize-winning author and Chairman of Quantum Enterprise Development (QED), a multi-functional management consultancy and development company based in Doncaster, England, dedicated to making good businesses better, encouraging customers to be more loyal and to helping employees and suppliers be more effective. Engineering Adventures Ltd 2007-03-25